Seismological Society of America 2007 Annual Meeting, Hawaii

April 11-13 2007, Hilton Waikoloa Village

Location

Setting: Hilton Waikoloa Village® is located within the Waikoloa Beach Resort area on the southern Kohala Coast on Hawaii's Big Island. Just 18 miles from the Kona International Airport. Breathtaking tropical gardens, abundant wildlife, award-winning dining, world-class shopping, art and culture, and an array of activities ranging from golf and tennis to an interactive dolphin program and the Kohala Sports Club & Spa.

Hotel Information

Due to the exceptional response to the SSA meeting, our room block at the Hilton Waikoloa is now sold out during the week of the meeting.

We have added additional rooms at the nearby Marriott Waikoloa. The Marriott Waikoloa is 8/10 of a mile to the Hilton Waikoloa (approximately 15 minutes walking distance). The Marriott Waikoloa offers a shuttle service between the two hotels and around the Waikoloa Village area.

You can now make your reservations at the Marriott Waikoloa by visiting their web site and entering the group code "SSASSA1". You can also reserve your room by calling reservations at 1-888-236-2427. If you call, please make sure you tell them you are part of the Seismological Society of America group in order to receive the discounted rate.

We appreciate your enthusiasm for the meeting and your flexibility. If you have further difficulties, please send an email to meetings [at] seismosoc.org, Subject: Hotel Reservation Problems.

Travel

From Mainland destinations: United and American fly directly into Kona. From Oahu, Aloha and Hawaiian Airlines fly to Kona.

Hotel has no shuttle service. Cab fare to Airport is about $35.

When departing the Kona International Airport, turn left (north) onto Highway 19 for approximately 20 minutes. Continue until you see the Waikoloa Beach Drive turnoff to the left (west) of the highway. Along Waikoloa Beach Drive, you will pass three (3) four-way stop intersections. Just after the third stop sign, you will see the entrance to Hilton Waikoloa Village® on the left.

If other directions are needed, please contact the hotel concierge at (808) 886-1234, extension 2715 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, Hawaiian Standard Time), or by email: info@hiltonwaikoloavillage.com.

There is a charge for valet and self-parking at the resort. Please call to confirm the current rate at (808) 886-1234.

Visa information

International travel to meetings in the U.S.

Please be advised that anyone who may need a visa to attend a scientific meeting in the USA must apply early. Visa applicants should apply at least 3 months in advance of the meeting. Security-related policies have greatly increased the processing time for visa applications. U.S. consular officers now usually interview applicants as part of the application process.

If your visa application requires a letter of invitation, e-mail Dr. Patricia Cooper.

General information about visas:

The National Academies maintains a web site about visa-related issues and travel information for U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens.

The State Department maintains a Web site about U.S. visa policy and procedures.

Since 26 June 2005, the State Department has required citizens from VWP countries to obtain visas if they do not have machine-readable passports and they wish to visit the U.S. One-time exemptions are no longer available to VWP nationals who do not possess a machine-readable passport or a non-immigrant visa.

SSA Travel Grants

Travel grants are available to help cover the costs of some international SSA members and student members who wish to attend the SSA Annual Meeting. For the 2007 meeting in Kona, Hawaii, SSA is offering one international member travel award of $1000 and three student member travel awards of $750 each.

Eligibility: SSA Members who must travel internationally to attend the annual SSA meeting are eligible for the international travel award. For the 2007 meeting, this means travel must be from anywhere but the U.S. Student members who must travel more than 500 km (either domestic or international) are eligible for the student travel awards. Award winners must present their work in either an oral or poster session at the meeting.

Application: To To apply for either award, please submit an application electronically via the form available at SSA travel grants. Deadline for receipt of applications by SSA is 4 December 2006. The application should state which award you are applying for and provide reasons why you are a good candidate for the award. Include in the application the abstract that you will be submitting for presentation if you obtain the award.

Awardees will be Applicants will be notified of their award status at least one week before the SSA deadline for abstract submission. The awards will be announced and the checks presented at the Annual Luncheon during the SSA meeting. Awardees will be the guests of SSA at this event.